MKOFBOOT(8) System Manager's Manual MKOFBOOT(8)NAMEmkofboot - format bootstrap partition and install the yaboot boot
loader
SYNOPSISmkofboot [ -b|--boot device ] [ -o|--ofboot of-path ]
[ -i|--install boot-file ] [ -C|--config config-file ] [ -m|--magic‐
boot chrp-file ] [ --filesystem hfs|msdos|raw ] [ --nobless ]
[ -M|--mount ] [ --hide ] [ --protect ] [ --nonvram ] [ --force ]
[ -v|--verbose ] [ --debug ] [ -h|--help ] [ -V|--version ]
DESCRIPTION
This manual page explains mkofboot the initial installer for the
yaboot(8) boot loader enabling GNU/Linux to be booted by OpenFirmware.
mkofboot does exactly the same thing as ybin(8) except that it erases
and creates a new filesystem (specified by --filesystem) on the boot‐
strap(8) partition before copying the boot loader files to it. See the
ybin(8) man page for more details on the installation process.
The bootstrap(8) need not and should not be mounted anywhere on your
filesystem, especially not on top of /boot. Yaboot(8) is able to load
the kernels from the ext2fs root partition so that is where they should
be kept. Mkofboot will refuse to operate on the bootstrap(8) partition
if it is mounted.
OPTIONS
NOTE: mkofboot uses the exact same command line options as ybin(8) so
if you have already read the ybin(8) man page you can skip this sec‐
tion.
-b, --boot device
Install the boot loader onto the specified device. This device
should be that of your bootstrap(8) partition. For example, if
your bootstrap partition is located on your first primary IDE
drive in the second partition, your device would be: /dev/hda2.
-o, --ofboot of-path
The OpenFirmware device path to the bootstrap(8) partition. This
is needed so the first stage ofboot loader can be configured
properly. It should include the OpenFirmware path including the
partition number (but not any filename). Example: if your boot‐
strap(8) partition is /dev/hda2, the OF path will likely be
hd:2. As of mkofboot 0.18 you no longer are required to specify
this option. If left undefined mkofboot will attempt to figure
out the OpenFirmware path automatically using the ofpath(8)
utility. You should only need to define this option if
ofpath(8) fails.
-i, --install boot-file
Use boot-file as the primary boot loader executable, instead of
the default/usr/lib/yaboot/yaboot(8).
-C, --config config-file
Use config-file as the mkofboot/yaboot(8) configuration file
instead of the default /etc/yaboot.conf.
-m, --magicboot chrp-script
Use chrp-script as the boot loader “wrapper”. This script is
needed to either provide a boot menu for dual boot with MacOS or
to load yaboot (due to an OpenFirmware bug).
--filesystem hfs|msdos|raw
Set the filesystem type that mkofboot will create on the boot‐
strap(8). The “raw” filesystem type causes mkofboot to copy the
bootloader (the value of install= directly to the bootstrap(8)
partition without creating a filesystem. “raw” is required on
IBM hardware. CAUTION: this will destroy any data or filesystem
on the bootstrap(8) partition (value of boot=) if you specify
something like boot=/dev/sda you will destroy the partition ta‐
ble and lose ALL data on the disk. The default is HFS.
-M, --mount
Do not use the userspace hfsutils(1) to modify the bootstrap(8),
instead try and mount the filesystem directly. NOTE: Attributes
cannot be set on the filesystem or the boot loader files using
this method, your system will NOT be bootable without modifying
OpenFirmware's “boot-device” variable to something like:
“hd:2,ofboot” (no quotes).
--nobless
Do not “bless” the root directory of the bootstrap(8) parti‐
tion's filesystem. Only use this option if the bootstrap(8)
partition is actually a MacOS boot partition. This option is
ignored unless the filesystem is HFS, and is ignored when used
with --mount.
--hide
Set the invisible bit on all the boot loader files once copied
to the bootstrap(8) partition. This setting is useful if you
must install the boot loader onto a MacOS boot partition and do
not with to see the boot loader files cluttering up the MacOS
root directory. This option is ignored unless the filesystem is
HFS, and will not work with --mount.
--protect
Set the read-only bit on all boot loader files once copied to
the bootstrap(8) partition. This setting is useful if you must
install the bootloader onto a MacOS boot partition and want to
discourage alterations/deletion of the boot loader. This option
works for both HFS and MSDOS filesystems.
--nonvram
Prevent mkofboot from setting the OpenFirmware boot-device vari‐
able with nvsetenv(8).
-v, --verbose
This option causes mkofboot to be more verbose as it proceeds.
-f, --force
This option suppresses any confirmation questions.
--debug
This option causes mkofboot to output some boring details useful
only for debugging mkofboot itself.
-h, --help
Print out usage information and exit.
-V, --version
Print out the version number and exit.
FILES
/usr/lib/yaboot/yaboot - boot loader executable
/usr/lib/yaboot/ofboot - OpenFirmware boot script
/etc/yaboot.conf - boot loader/mkofboot configuration file
ENVIRONMENT
TMPDIR
The temporary directory mkofboot will use.
SECURITY
Temporary files are created with mktemp(1) it is important that your
system use a secure mktemp(1) program otherwise mkofboot will be vul‐
nerable to race conditions. The Debian mktemp is derived from OpenBSD
and thus should be secure.
/usr/lib/yaboot/ofboot now contains code executed by /bin/sh (by mkof‐
boot) it is thus critical that it not be writable by anyone but root.
It is also critical that /etc/yaboot.conf not be writable by anyone but
root since a different ofboot script could be specified there.
BUGS
Mkofboot should be able to take care of OpenFirmware variables as
needed on IBM hardware.
AUTHORSmkofboot(8) , and this man page written by Ethan Benson.
yaboot(8) was written by Benjamin Herrenschmidt.
REPORTING BUGS
Report bugs to <erbenson@alaska.net>
SEE ALSObootstrap(8), hfsutils(1), mkofboot(8), mktemp(1), mount(8),
nvsetenv(8), ofpath(8), yaboot(8), yaboot.conf(5).
GNU/Linux PowerPC 21 November 2001 MKOFBOOT(8)
